Christmas Holiday Addendum

Four events stood out amidst the trip, which I feel are worth sharing. One was seeing my extended family for dinner. A large portion of my father’s side of the family visited one evening, shortly after Christmas. A dinner of brisket, macaroni and cheese, and a delicious salad. Yeah, food’s important, too. In addition to all the people, four family dogs came, bringing the house total up to five. What a circus! Anyway, it was wonderful to see them all so close to Christmas, to catch up on their lives and share parts of mine, and of course, share Christmas gifts. I gave my cousin a bottle of homemade zogal (a type of berry) vodka. I must admit to enjoying a moment of pleasure at sharing Azerbaijani drinking traditions with him and then seeing his grimace after swallowing the first shot.

The second event that was memorable was sharing Christmas with my host brother, studying in Ohio for his master’s degree. The first morning I was there I drove (first time in 15 months!) out to White Marsh to pick him up. I could write a whole entry about how nice it was to drive again, to be in control of my own speed and direction, but I’m getting distracted. So, later that day, echoing an event almost a year ago, I took Seymur as I went to get a haircut. For my first haircut in Azerbaijan (I somehow made it through all of PST without one), Seymur escorted me. It was a lot of fun to return the favor, taking him to my hair place, which he found amusing because it is a “qadin salonu” or “women’s salon.” The shampoo beforehand is totally worth it. I suppose more importantly, I enjoyed sharing our Christmas traditions with him, after he has shared his family’s traditions for several holidays, particularly Novruz. It won’t be the same without him this year.

Third, though not in importance, I traveled with my girlfriend, her mother and boyfriend, to New York’s Hudson Valley Mohonk Mountain House. Started by Quakers almost 150 years ago, Mohonk is now a huge retreat in the mountains that looks like it belongs in the Alps. Each room was different, but all with amazing views of the valley on one side and the lake on the other. The building itself was really several smushed together, each with slightly different architecture and feel. The grounds sprawled out along the top of the hill, with trails going off in every direction. The first evening, fog rolled in, locking us in, evoking certain upbeat comedies such as The Shining. But when morning came, the wind had blown the fog off revealing the truly impressive views.
Even though it was windy (and I mean Windy), we went hiking through the woods, though we did pass on the ice-skating. Ice + wind = Nate falls on his butt. The place was what we’d call here “qesheng,’ meaning pretty, beautiful, fancy. Dinners were jean-less and dress shirt and jacketed. When there’s snow on the ground, there’s snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, and there’s a whole spa complex. Caroline and I tried out the pool, and I will be honest, it was cold and I didn’t want to get in, but a certain someone pulled me in against my will. What? I don’t like cold pools, especially indoor ones.

Finally, the last night. The Ravens vs. Bengals. First Caroline and her dog, Nora, and then a whole gaggle of my best friends from back home. Some brought chips, with which we made nachos, another pizza (thank you Kathryn and David). Others just brought themselves, and that was enough. As the dogs chased each other, we talked, cheered, and the Ravens won. It was above all else, completely natural for me to be there. I was home, comfortable and warm.

Thank you to all the people—both family, friends, and other—who took time out of their holiday season to see me and make me feel like I had never left. It made me feel truly blessed to have friends and relatives with whom I can pick up again after over a year as if it had been just yesterday. You are all home to me.